Olympics set to tackle flag football as event at 2028 Los Angeles Games
First, Taylor Swift. Next, the Olympics.
The NFL's ongoing push for worldwide exposure got another boost Monday when organizers for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics delivered a proposal to put flag football on the program when the Summer Games return to the United States for the first time in 32 years.
The International Olympic Committee will vote on the proposal at meetings in Mumbai, India, that begin later this week. Also on the LA proposal were baseball and softball, which have been bouncing on and off the program for decades; lacrosse; squash; and cricket — a fitting contrast to flag football in that it is virtually unknown in the United States but immensely popular over wide swaths of the globe.
LA chairman Casey Wasserman said the new sports are “relevant, innovative and community-based, played in backyards, schoolyards, community centers, stadiums and parks across the U.S. and the globe.”
Though participation numbers have been declining, there is no bigger spectator sport in the U.S. than football. Bringing its less-violent cousin into the Olympics would mark a huge victory for the NFL, which has been staging a handful of games in Europe for more than a decade now and is always looking for ways to grow both its participation and its audience beyond western Europe and the U.S.
MLB
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D'Arnaud, who started at catcher over slumping Sean Murphy, gave the Braves hope with his shot into the left-field seats in the seventh, cutting Philadelphia's lead to 4-3.
Riley provided the second, driving a 3-2 pitch from Jeff Hoffman (0-1) into the Phillies bullpen with two outs in the eighth to put the Braves ahead for the first time in the best-of-five series.
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Jefferson left in the fourth quarter Sunday and wanted to return to the game, Minnesota coach Kevin O'Connell said Monday, but the team chose to sit Jefferson to protect him.
O'Connell said the team is getting “a couple different opinions” on Jefferson's injury.
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Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is expected to miss Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars because of a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder.
Coach Shane Steichen said Monday that Gardner Minshew will make his second start of the season.
Steichen says he's not sure how much time, if any, Richardson will miss beyond this week and that the team is still awaiting more information on the injury before determining any additional treatment including possible surgery.
Soccer SAUDI ARABIA FORMALLY INFORMS FIFA OF ITS WISH TO HOST THE 2034 WORLD CUP >>
Saudi Arabia formally informed FIFA of its wish to host the men's World Cup in 2034 in a bidding contest that increasingly looks designed for the kingdom to win.
The Saudi Arabian soccer federation said it “submitted a letter of intent and signed declaration to FIFA to bid” in a vote that is open only to members of the Asian and Oceania soccer governing bodies.
FIFA fast-tracked starting the 2034 contest last week after its ruling body also agreed to accept only one candidate for the 2030
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With much of the discussions conducted over the summer, the deal was finally completed as the Sabres prepare to open the regular season hosting the New York Rangers on Thursday. The 23-year-old Dahlin becomes the Sabres highestpaid player in terms of annual salary, and has one season left on a three-year $18 million contract, after which he would only have been eligible to become a restricted free agent.
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Matt Fitzpatrick captured his first European tour title in two years by winning the weather-affected Dunhill Links Championship by three strokes.
The 2022 U.S. Open champion shot 6-under 66 on the Old Course at St. Andrews to finish on 19-underpar overall for an event that was reduced to 54 holes after heavy rain wiped out play on Saturday and Sunday.
Play was only possible on Monday after remarkable efforts from the greenkeepers at the three storied Scottish courses hosting the pro-am event — St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns — to make them playable.